Mark, it's a very interesting problem about abortion. Is abortion murder? Technically, yes. But so is capital punishment, even when there's compelling evidence that the convicted and sentenced person is innocent. So are all the gun deaths, which are not supported by the "Second Amendment." And when you talk about "Christian Nationalists," those are commonly the people who oppose abortion, but don't oppose capital punishment (the one and only goal of which is to kill someone, and get nothing in return, including not deter anyone, and even if the sentenced person is innocent), and don't oppose civilian possession of guns, which are the commonest cause of death of minors of all ages and in suicides.
On the radio yesterday, I heard a report that part of the result of all this anti-abortion activity has caused an INCREASE in abortion, for the kinds of reasons you mention: pills through the mail, traveling to other places, etc.
And in any event, parents are the guardians of their offspring, even if the offspring aren't born yet. You mention some states' efforts to criminalize helping a minor cross state lines to get an abortion. What about criminalizing the person who got that pregnant girl pregnant? If you don't get an abortion, and your child misbehaves, and you spank him or her, are you guilty of assault and battery? If you oppose spanking, and you give your offspring a time out, are you guilty of incarceration without due process? If your child has school phobia, and you take them to school anyway, and make them go in, are you guilty of hostage-taking and incarceration without due process?
I remember several years ago that there was a story about a woman who went to get a prescription filled at a Walgreens somewhere. The pharmacist asked if the woman was pregnant, because the prescribed medication could cause abortion. She was pregnant, and the pharmacist wouldn't fill the prescription. But the fetus had died, and the whole purpose of the prescription was to get the dead fetus removed. The pharmacist could only think of the word abortion, and superimposed his own philosophy, religious or otherwise, to try to block this customer from getting prescribed and rational medical care.
If people choose to live lives that make them unhappy, I'm sorry for them. But it won't do them any good to insist that other people live the kinds of lives that these people don't like. They ought to mind their own business.
There was an article in Mother Jones about some of the recent supreme court decisions, including a discussion about the rastafarian who had his head shaved while he was in prison. This was a direct violation of some laws and regulations and he sued. (You can guess how the current court decided!).
The last sentence stuck out at me, as a consequence of the court's decisions (plural) an oil company can sue, a wronged person cannot.
Your last line encapsulates it Fred. Mind your own business.
Mark, it's a very interesting problem about abortion. Is abortion murder? Technically, yes. But so is capital punishment, even when there's compelling evidence that the convicted and sentenced person is innocent. So are all the gun deaths, which are not supported by the "Second Amendment." And when you talk about "Christian Nationalists," those are commonly the people who oppose abortion, but don't oppose capital punishment (the one and only goal of which is to kill someone, and get nothing in return, including not deter anyone, and even if the sentenced person is innocent), and don't oppose civilian possession of guns, which are the commonest cause of death of minors of all ages and in suicides.
On the radio yesterday, I heard a report that part of the result of all this anti-abortion activity has caused an INCREASE in abortion, for the kinds of reasons you mention: pills through the mail, traveling to other places, etc.
And in any event, parents are the guardians of their offspring, even if the offspring aren't born yet. You mention some states' efforts to criminalize helping a minor cross state lines to get an abortion. What about criminalizing the person who got that pregnant girl pregnant? If you don't get an abortion, and your child misbehaves, and you spank him or her, are you guilty of assault and battery? If you oppose spanking, and you give your offspring a time out, are you guilty of incarceration without due process? If your child has school phobia, and you take them to school anyway, and make them go in, are you guilty of hostage-taking and incarceration without due process?
I remember several years ago that there was a story about a woman who went to get a prescription filled at a Walgreens somewhere. The pharmacist asked if the woman was pregnant, because the prescribed medication could cause abortion. She was pregnant, and the pharmacist wouldn't fill the prescription. But the fetus had died, and the whole purpose of the prescription was to get the dead fetus removed. The pharmacist could only think of the word abortion, and superimposed his own philosophy, religious or otherwise, to try to block this customer from getting prescribed and rational medical care.
If people choose to live lives that make them unhappy, I'm sorry for them. But it won't do them any good to insist that other people live the kinds of lives that these people don't like. They ought to mind their own business.
There was an article in Mother Jones about some of the recent supreme court decisions, including a discussion about the rastafarian who had his head shaved while he was in prison. This was a direct violation of some laws and regulations and he sued. (You can guess how the current court decided!).
The last sentence stuck out at me, as a consequence of the court's decisions (plural) an oil company can sue, a wronged person cannot.